Dungeons and Dragons and History Part 4: The Sorceress

20 December, 202017 July, 2023 ~ SamRandom ~ 1 Comment

Introduction

The sorcerer is a wildly varied term, and once that has a number of connotations depending on which context it is used in, much like many of the other classes we have discussed so far in this series. As before will this text focus on comparing the Dungeons and dragons class to elements that can be found, primarily in western culture and myth.

The fantastical spellcaster

The sorcerer of the D&D universe represents one of several approaches to casting magic. What makes the sorcerer/sorceress unique is that they are seemingly given their magical abilities without any personal involvement, be it from birth or other external events, this puts them in stark contract to the Warlock, who has often needed to pay a great price for their magical abilities. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

The natural spellcaster

The gifts of magic comes natural to the sorcerer, they do not need to study, mediate or mediate for their powers, instead it comes from some sort of internal pre existing ability. This sets them apart to most other spellcasters we will discuss in this series. The players handbook describes a series of origins for the sorcerers powers. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

Source: https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/sorcerer

Origins of power

The sorcerers of D&D always have some form of source for their arcane abilities. One of the more common ways are from gaining them from their parental heritage. Some have gotten their powers by exposure to strange magical energies, or divine forcers, other had them gifted to them by other magical being. What sets the Sorcerer apart from other spellcasters in D&D is that their magical abilities was never a result of a conscious depiction by the individual, and is described in the player handbook as a blessing as well as a curse. One interesting origin that the player handbook mentions again and again is the powers gained by the individuals connection to a draconic bloodline, tying them to one of the more iconic creatures, and the namesake of the series. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

While some see their powers as blessings and wish to further their master y and understanding of them, do other see them as a curse or unwanted source of trouble. The sense of a curse becomes even more apparent when looking at the sorcerers origin known as “wild magic”. These sorcerers have inherited a form of wild and sometimes unpredictable set of magical skills, that can pose a real danger to themselves and everyone around them. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

Changing the nature of magic

The sorcerers are described as having no need of “tomes and dusty books”, their mastery of the arcane art instead coming from training and intuition. In gameplay terms does this fact represent itself by the sorcerers ability to change certain properties of their spells on the fly, such as chancing a smells damage type, duration or intended effect. It is made clear that these magical abilities comes not from years of study, or from external powers, but rather from the innate powers of the sorcerer themselves. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

The face of the real life sorcerer

The word sorcerer is one that has been used liberally and with huge variety in a number of contexts. In this chapter will we analyse a few of these and compare them to what we have discussed about the Dungeons and Dragons Sorcerer.

The ancient sorcerer

The idea of the sorcerer, as one that conducts sorcery has existed for as long as we have had recorded history. This individual has enacted certain rites and performed certain actions in order to magically produce certain results. Russel argues that sorcery by its nature is more intuitive and instinctive then methodical. This is in comparison to high magic that is more of an empirical and spiritually enlightened path. (Russel 2007)

Russel makes a distinction that can be found in many society between good and bad magic, and links the former to publicly accepted forms of magic meant to help the society, and private forms of sorcery made for personal gain or profit. (Russel 2007) Note that while D&D does not make any sort of distinction between the validity or justness of one classes use of magic above another, does the Sorcerer of D&D take on a more naturalistic or intuitive form of magic compared to for example the Bard or the Wizard.

High and low magic

As described in my chapter of the Wizard, does the medieval western studies of the arcane make a distinction between the high magic of the mage and the wizard as the learned and logical forms of magic, while sorcery and witchcraft is seen as a low, institutive and dangers form of magic, often relating to the the dealings with demons and other evil spirits. (Russel 2007)

The lower arcane traditions, sometimes called sorcery was seen as dangerous, physical and feminine. In contrast was high magic seen as ethereal, intellectual and masculine. (Wilson 2018) The Greeks for example created two forms of magic, the high form of magic called Theurgia, translated to “working things pertaining to the gods. This was seen as a benevolent form of high magic and very close to religion. The second from was called magia and can be considered to be much closer to sorcery. The low form of magia quickly gained a reputation of being harmful or even fraudulent. (Russel 2007) While the sorcerer in D&D is on now way presented as more evil or malicious then say a wizard, they are presented as more intuitive, and in some cases more wild and dangerous. I would argue, just as I have in my chapter on wizards, that the dichotomy between sorcerers and wizards in D&D can easily be linked to the dichotomy of high and low magic (Wizards of the Coast 2014).

High forms of magic in these contexts were often the domain of wise men who with the power of pure intelligence and willpower created grand miracles, while the lower forms of magic, or sorcery was often seen relating to the use of spells, potions and amulet’s, areas that in D&D is more often associated with the wizards of the world. (Russel 2007)

Lastly, can high and low magic be defined in to the categories of permitted public magic done in the name of the local faith, and the private, informal magic done against the wishes of the ruling theocratic elite. (Russel 2007)

The demon summoning sorcerer

One way the sorcerer is used in texts concerning occultism is to act as an evil “other” to the more good or righteous wizard or mage. Much like the concepts concerning the Warlock, are these individuals magic users that conspires with dark end evil forces rather then using more divine or personal means of magic incrustations. it is hard in some cases to draw a clear line between what should be considered sorcery, and what should fall under the preview of diabolism, such as the case with several cultures such as ancient Greece and Babylonia. (Russel 2007)

Conclusions

I have in this chapter presented various aspects of the sorcerers class in D&D 5th edition, as well as presented a few definitions of sorcerers and sorcery across history. Note that these definitions are in no way extensive, or representative of al definitions of sorcery across history. They are on the other hand a starting point to introduce the reader to a long traditions of sorcery across several cultures and historical eras.

Most relevant to our discussion of D&D is the differentiation of the lower or more intuitive version of magic next to the more higher forms of magic, that can be found in the D&D class of wizard. While nowhere as judgemental or derogatory as many of the definitions of sorcery we have discussed here, there is still an interesting discussion to have around the possible classicism and elitism that exists between the various forms of magic in D&D.

Lastly do I want to draw the attention of the reader to the fact that many times in defining Sorcery throughout this texts, has the goal of many of these definitions seem to be to create some sort of other. A less valid, pure or legal form of magic, that can act as an antagonist to the true and pure forms of theology or magic. We will return to this train of thought once we have discussed al the magically gifted classes of D&D.

As always, if you found this texts subjects interesting I have provided my sources and additional reading materials in the source list below.

Sources

Agrippa von Nettesheim, H.C. (1986). Three books of occult philosophy … London: Chthonios.

Lévi, Eliphas (2017) The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic : A New Translation

Russell, J.B. & Alexander, B. (2007). A history of witchcraft: sorcerers, heretics and pagans. (2nd ed.) New York: Thames & Hudson.

Wilson, D.K. (2018). A magical world: superstition and science from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. (First Pegasus books hard-cover edition.) New York, NY: Pegasus Books, Ltd.

Wizards of the Coast (2014). Dungeons & dragons Player’s handbook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Dungeons and dragons and history: part 3, the Warlock

5 April, 202017 July, 2023 ~ SamRandom ~ 2 Comments

Introduction

We will in this chapter go back to our series of examining the relationship between Dungeons and Dragons character classes and their ties to real life cultures, myths and practises. This time will we be examining the warlock, an individual that has willingly or unwillingly stricken a deal with a powerful entity, and made a grand sacrifice in order to gain otherworldly powers and abilities. Note that due to the authors currently limited scope on magical traditions, will I limit myself to study the warlock out of a western perspective since this is where my current expertise lies. I hope to one day return to this topic and expand upon it once my knowledge base has increased.

The warlocks of D&D

The warlock in the players handbook is described as an individual driven by their thirst for knowlage and power, it is in this search that the individual has met and made the pact with their patron. This arrangement tend to look more like a business deal then a spiritual connection like that find between the cleric and their deity. As the warlock is so deeply rooted in, and identified by their otherworldly patron, is it pertinent to examine both of them individually before looking at them as a whole. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

The patron

To begin explaining what a patron is, it is useful to discuss what a patron is NOT. The patron is decidedly not a god, tough some deities are in fact rivalling gods in the terms of might and influence. The individuals are powerful creatures, apparitions or constructs that exists beyond or between the mortal realms. These can be everything from grand rulers of otherworldly plains, such as the Kings and queens of the fay wild, to ancient creatures that lurks beyond the fabric of time and space, and are so alien, that their touts and motivations are completely incomprehensible to mortals. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

The servant

The warlock themselves, are as mentioned before an individual searching for ancient lore and power. This search has lead them to the discovery of their patron, be it by accident, exploring an ancient ruin, or by deliberately searching trough ancient texts and tomes. Regardless how they found their patron, are they now able to call upon their master for enhanced powers and otherworldly abilities. Just like Wizards are Warlocks described as students of the arcane arts, but unlike their more bookish cousins, does the Warlock take a more direct approach to research, and are as a result more capable fighters and explorers. The players handbook explains that the warlocks thirst for knowlage can not be sated by simple research alone, and that the demands of their patron often forces them to take up the life of an adventurer. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

The pact

The most defining feature of the of the Warlock archetype. This relationship, as with most things in D&D is highly malleable and customisable. The pact may take several different forms, form the ritual practice of god and worshipper, not unlike that of the paladins or clerics, or it can be a completely practical business deal. The patron might give out their blessings freely and generously, to only do so begrudgingly and to very few select individuals. The patron might be loving of their servant, indifferent, maleficent, or in the case of some of the more strange and ancient beings, not even aware of the warlocks existence. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

The warlocks in European myth

The most common use in a everyday context of the warlock, is that of the “male witch”. This definition is found in many dictionaries, including the Oxford dictionary and the National Encyclopedia. In this segment I wish to try and contextualize and problematize this seemingly very simple and straight forward explanation.

Witches and warlocks

The concept of the warlock is, much like the witch, sometimes used interchangeably with the term, sorcerer and sorceress. These individuals are said to gain their power from concerting with other creatures and forces. In the terms of a European and western context, and more specificity a unchristian context, these forces was the forces of the devil. These individuals was seen as partitioners of low forms of magic, the magic of evoking dark and evil spirits. This would be set in context to the Magus or the wizard, that uses High magic. This magic is further discussed in my chapter on wizards (found Here (see The wizard)). (Wilson, D.K. 2018)

Light and dark magic

This distinction has been given many names and definitions as the ideas of magic and witchcraft evolved. It has been known as dark and light magic, as well as high and low magic, and finally the left-handed vs the right handed path. The right handed path representing the use of divine forces or the “light” while the left handed path represents the use of various forms of of malignant or evil spirits, demons and devils in particular. Note that magic and occultism is a highly varied and diverse series of practices, and that this text represents a gross oversimplification of several ancient and complicated practices. (Lévi 2017)

Modern Wicca and pop-culture

In the modern interpretation of the Wicca religion is the warlock often seen as negative connotation, as a traitor or once that shall not be trusted. Tough some variations may be found, is the word warlock not used for male practitioner of the Wicca faith, as can often be found in their pop cultural representations. (Wilson, D.K. 2018)

In pop culture is the warlock often seen as a male user of “dark and evil magic”, or in some cases, as a male version of the witch. This image of the evil spell caster is one that can be found in many horror films and novels.

Conclusions

It is simple to see where the authors of dungeons and dragons might have found their inspiration for this class. I do not believe that the authors of Dungeons and dragons must necessarily know the occult and mythical origins of the Warlock, I would rather argue that the concept of the Warlock, just as many of the other classes we will discuss in this series, has such a clear image in the common western collective subconscious, that many of the tropes have survive more or less intact.

With this said, is it interesting to see just how close the concept of the Warlock of dungeons and dragons comes to that of Lévi and his contemporaries. Theses similarities becomes even more apparent when compared to the Wizard. The wizard and warlock dichotomy falls rather neatly, but not exactly in line with the dichotomy between left handed, and right handed magic. As I mentioned before is this text a rather large simplification of a large series of traditions, one that the reader can read more about in the works listed below.

Sources

The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic: A New Translation Lévi, Eliphas (2017)

Wizards of the Coast (2014). Dungeons & dragons Player’s handbook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast LLC.

The Wilson, D.K. (2018). A magical world: superstition and science from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. (First Pegasus books hard-cover edition.) New York, NY: Pegasus Books, Ltd.

The scribe: A comparative look at the writing professional

22 March, 202017 July, 2023 ~ SamRandom ~ Leave a comment

The concept of the professional writer has changed wildly over the years, and are indeed still changing to this day. What this texts is going to focus on specificity is the invention of the printing press in Europe, and what that meant for the world of the written word, both socially, cultural and economically.

The manuscript and the ideal text

The ideal text is a concept within many fields of research, and has number of different connotations. In this text we are interested in the concept in therms of literary and writing history. The concept of the ideal text in this context is a text that is as close to the authors original intent or “original text”. In order to create these ideal texts are usually many different translations and editions used, to see which parts and passages that seems to correlate the best with each other. From these different editions is a so called Ideal text created. This text would then work as a basis, or a reference point for further studies.

One good example of such an ideal text would be certain plays made by Shakespeare, of which we only have second hand notes and recordings off. Plays being a personal property of the theatre troupe, and never shared outside the company, was the only way to acquire other theatres plays, to sit in the audience and try to record it line for line.

To understand the cultures of the medieval scribe work, and how the printing press changed it, one must first understand the concept of the Manuscript. The Manuscript of the medieval European scribes, and their coupes across the world is in and of themselves unique items. Each and every one of them created by a person, at a specific point in time. Things like spelling and grammar errors, translations errors, as well as corrections to these errors, al leads to the further differentiation of a text. Furthermore were many scribes not just tasked with creating an item of functionality, but also of creating an articulacy of value and beauty.

Bildresultat för medieval manuscript — Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_illuminated_manuscripts

One of the results of this is the fact that we need to conciser that, unlike a published and printed book, was these manuscripts made for a specific individual, or a small collection of individuals rather then for a public.

Many manuscripts were made for specific nobility or other inportant individuals, and it was not uncommon for historical or religious texts to be custom tailored to collaborate the stories and features of the ancestors of the chosen patron. These texts were, and still are considered great works of art for a very good reason, as many features large masterfully made artworks, as well as pretentious and rare materials, such as gold and rare pigments.

The medieval scribe

The image most have of the medieval scribe is of an elderly monk sitting hunches over his text books and slowly tracing the words and images of his predecessors. The work of the medieval scribe was indeed a lot mover involved then that, and often included correcting spelling errors or factual problems that the author has left in, (and accordantly creating their own errors from time to time). The work for the scribe was often seen to be of just as an inportant and vital task as the original author, and the two were seen as co creators for each work. It was indeed a common practice for the scribe to make themselves a small portrait in the manuscripts themselves.

The creation of each and every manuscript was as a result a unique and one of a time production, and each object that was created in this was was as well, a unique artefact. This will be put in to contrast of the mass produced series of identical texts possible with the invention of the printing press.

The printing press and the question of ownership

The concept of copy rite and ownership relay came to a head when the printing press and its use became more and more widespread. It became more and more easy to copy, redistribute and acquire the written word. This did do a lot of good for he spread of art, culture and science, as well as differing political ideals. One group that was both gained from, and suffers at the hands of the printing press was the authors of these new texts.

The authors of the renaissance had a vast new audience of hungry readers, but no clear way of safety monetizing said market. It was not uncommon to acquire books form other printers, and then undersell them by producing cheaper copies. These infringements was mostly done over national borders, and a few duchies of the holy Roman empire was nutritious for these bootlegging printers. They acquired books form across the border, and then managed to make significantly cheaper copies, due to them not needing to pay the original author.

The difficulty of the author, and publishers to properly monetize their products lead to the invention of more clear and universal copy write law. In order to properly push their newfound claims. To be able to properly make these claims, a new image of the author had to be created.

Copywriting and the idea of the author

The idea of the author of a author as a a unique genius, that springs original concepts from their very essence is a relatively new one as well, one which origin can be argued to be traced to (at least in Europe) the invention and refinement of the printing press.

In order to protect the writers livelihood in this new environment, was an image of the proses of writing, and the author was needed. German authors in particular was hurt by the introduction of the printing press, and its consequences for their ability to protect their economic safety. The concepts of a writer living solely on sales of reprints of their books are a relatively new concept in Europe. Before was writers usually paid on commissions, or even more often, by patronage of a noble or other rich individual. This new writers found themselves completely without any sort of safety net. In order to make sure these writers could protect their income and works, would they need to reinvent the very role of the author (Woodsmansee 1994). I will here present two different definitions of the author, and how it relates to the medieval manuscript.

The inspired craftsman

The renaissance, and pre printing press idea of the writer, was mainly that of a craftsman. An individual that has learned a trade, and applies heir tools, experience and the knowlage of previous craftsmen to create new works out of existing myths, stories and narratives. Much like a carpenter works with already existing wood, so does the writer work with pre existing themes and ideas. (Woodsmansee 1994)

When a writer seemingly created a completely new topic or concept, this was not attributed to the individual themself, but rather to some sort of divine or supernaturally inspirational force, be it a deity or a creatures such as a muse. Note that this puts the professional writer, in the position of a vessel for other ideas and beings, rather then being the originator of said ideas themselves. (Woodsmansee 1994)

The lone artist

After the introduction of the printing press, and the coming of the enlightenment, did another concept of the writer, the artist. This individual worked towards unevenness and individuality, they were the sole source of their work, and as a result the sole owner of it as well. Their inspiration came from within, lacking any mundane or supernatural force of inspiration. Because the writer is the single originator of the text, they also held the single credit and responsibility for the text, and as a result, also the single monetary and intellectual rights to it. (Woodsmansee 1994)

The influences of craftsmanship also disappeared gradually, and was instead replaced by the concept of solitary artistry. A similar trend could be found in al of the disciplines that would later be known as the “fine arts”. These being dance, theatre, paining, sculpting and writing. In al these disciple was there a clear move made to make a distinction between the crafts and the arts, as well as elevating the later over the former.

Conclusions

What I have tried to present here is a n introduction is a shift in mentality and reality of both the author and the book as an item when the printing press was fully introduced in Europe. With the artefact created going from a physical unique item, to the ethereal idea of the Text, so did the image of the writer go from the craftsman scribe, to the artist writer.

Sources

P.F.F. (2006). Manuscript, not Print: Scribal Culture in the Edo Period. The Journal of Japanese Studies 32(1), 23-52. doi:10.1353/jjs.2006.0016.

Woodmansee, Martha (1994). The author, art, and the market: rereading the history of aesthetics. New York: Columbia University Press

Food, in mediaeval fantasy and reality.

15 March, 202017 July, 2023 ~ SamRandom ~ Leave a comment

This chapter will be the first in a series of texts commissioned by the followers of my twitch channel (link in the references). To get your own chapter dedicated to a topic of your choice (within reason), go to my twitch and collect 8,000 channel loyalty points by watching my stream.

Introduction

This chapter will be dedicated to the depiction and use of food within the context of both real and fantasy foods in a roughly medieval European setting. We will tackle this topic form two angles, the first will present food in a medieval historical, cultural and medical context. Our second context will be that of a narrative tool, more specificity to look at how fantasy literature uses food in order to describe build and contextualize their worlds.

The Medieval cookbook

We will star this chapter by examining the concept of medieval food form a series of different angles. Food is closely linked to the social and economical situation of the individuals that prepares and consumes it. (Towle, et al 2017)

Food and alchemy

The food of medieval Europe was closely tied to health and having a healthy life. The most prevalent theory of medicine at the time consisted of Hippocratic School of medicine, or the theory of the four humours. The idea that the body have four essential liquids, which is in turn tied to one of the four elements of western alchemy.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism#/media/File:Humorism.svg

In order to keep a healthy body, one must make sure that their humours are properly balanced. One of the easiest, and most practical was to balance once humours was simply to eat a diet that contains al the needed humours. If one for example needed to have more phlegm, which is tied to water, one need to consume something related to waters two properties (wet and cold). One things that would work for this would be fish, as it comes from water (wet and cold), and as a result, has some of the elements of water, and as a result, the properties of phlegm.

Of Borth and Bread

Bread and porridge seems to have been a common staple of most British individuals living in the Medieval ages, regardless of social class. As noted before what the lower classes forced to sustain themselves on whichever foods that were the most readily available to them, so fish for example was mostly consumed near bodies of water where edible fish where found. This means that they were not able to follow the rules ranging the four humours as closely as those of higher social and economical classes.

The study performed by Leschziner et al (2011), seems to indicate that the medieval cooking more wildly combined different flavours throughout the meal. For example was sweet flavours not simply used as an end to the meal, but used equally as much as the other tastes. This was done party because the way meals were first and foremost created to make sure that the meal contained al the four elements needed to keep a harmonious balance of the four humours. Sugar is also believed to have been seen as another spice, and was as a result used as one. Sugar was also used as a preservative at the time. Medieval Europe also saw the split of pickling from other general cooking Leschziner (2011).

Class and food

As I have hinted at was, and is food very much tied to your class and status within a given community. What you ate was, even more then today tied to where and how you lived. Some studies, for example the study by Towle et al (2017), shows that the diets of many city dwellers were indeed rather diverse, and contained a lot of fruits and greens. Individuals in rural areas were mostly limited to eating whichever foods were produced and sold nearby, so seafood and fish was usually eaten amongst the coast or other bodies of water for example.

Fantasy food

There is no secret that many fantasy books are filled with talk of food. The sheer number of cookbooks, both official and unofficial attests to just how big of a part food plays in many fantasy narratives.

Food as narrative

Food used as a narrative device is by no means limited to fantasy narratives. A commonly brought up example is the Oranges in the Godfather. Every individual handed an orange in the film, is killed shortly after. In fantasy narratives on the other hand are food often used to create a sense of the world and how it functions. These is especially true in fantasy, where a lot of the setting is needed to be described and contextualized for the reader in order for them to understand the stakes and themes of the narrative. Food is an excellent way to tie the world in to a larger context, as well as to use it as a shorthand to compare it to other real life settings. The heathy and rural food of the Hobbits in the Lord of the rings series, draws clear ties to the English countryside. By introducing the eating habits of the Hobbits as comparable to that of the British countryside, especially during the 18th centenary, does the writer go a long way to tie the entire region and people of the hobbits to the British countryside as well, (if a rather picturesque and idyllic version of it).

Food as a exposition device

Food can be used to explain how certain aspect of the world works. An easy example would be the Lembas bread. These magical breads are able to sustain oneself for weeks. This dry bread can keep an individual not only alive, but also healthy for long periods of time. Food, especially in relation to magical and mystical topics, can help ground otherwise abstract subjects in more mundane terms. The preparation and serving of food (see, the cooking tools, producers and types of storing), can also be a good indicator and pointer on the overall state of technology in the setting of the narrative, as well as the characters relationship to said technology.

Food and social class

As described earlier in the text, is food, especially in medieval settings, very much tied in to the class of the individuals consuming it. The ice and Fire series uses food to a great extent to show the differences between the squallier of the peasantry and the opulence and grandeur that the noble houses live in. Food is also a good indicator of the different cultures and traditions present in the narrative.

The abundance of food in Hogwarts, where Harry feel safe and welcomed is put in to stark contrast to the near starvation he faces at the hands of the oppressive and cruel Dudley’s. The examples of this trope are to numerous to list, but needless to say, there is no accident that food has been used within fiction, fantasy and otherwise, to show the wealth and statue (or lack there of), of characters within fiction.

Conclusions

Food plays a large part of human identity, real as well as fictional. you can learn a lot about a culture from what they do and do not eat. In this text I have tied to show how you can understand both fictional and real cultures partly tough their food. As always are these chapters simply meant as an introduction to these topics, and I have provided a series of further reading in the sources.

Sources

JURAJ DOBRILA UNIVERSITY OF PULA DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES SUB DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
https://dcplive.dekalblibrary.org/2011/05/20/food-in-fantasy-literature/ https://www.tor.com/2019/03/14/the-fantastical-food-of-fantasy-fiction/

Dietary and behavioural inferences from dental pathology and non-masticatory wea Towle, Ian & Davenport, Carole & Irish, Joel & De Groote, Isabelle. (2017). Dietary and behavioral inferences from dental pathology and non-masticatory wear on dentitions from a British medieval town. 10.1101/222091.

Leschziner, Vanina & Dakin, Andrew. (2011). Theorizing Cuisine from Medieval to Modern Times: Cognitive Structures, the Biology of Taste, and Culinary Conventions.

My twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/samrandom13

Dungeons and Dragons and History Part 2: The Cleric (Part 1) – Man of the Church

29 September, 201917 July, 2023 ~ SamRandom ~ Leave a comment

Introduction

This chapter will tackle one of the more iconic classes of Dungeons and Dragons- the Cleric. In this chapter, we will discuss the more common tropes of the cleric, how it ties to the Catholic faith, as well as other fictional representations of the same archetype. In part 2, we will explore some of the sub-classes of the Cleric and try to find a real life connections of these varied archetypes.

The Cleric in Dungeons and Dragons

The Cleric is a magic user, healer and warrior. The power of the Cleric comes from their gods rather than inert magical abilities like that of the Sorcerer, or from intense studies of the arcane arts of the Wizard. This difference gives these magical classes considerably different approaches to what magic is and how it is used. (Wizards of the Coast 2019)

The Cleric is described as more than a mere priest or devout follower. These clerics are mortals that are chosen by their deity to receive some of their divine power. The interesting aspect of this is that the Cleric can as a result lose his power if they anger their patron god, or lose their good graces. (Wizards of the Coast 2019)

The Cleric of D&D is not, as we will see, tied to any one particular faith or creed. The Cleric is very much the catch-all term for individuals that have in one way or another, gained divine powers from a greater godly power 1. These would, in terms of Medieval Europe, might be a parallel to a prophet, soothsayer or other even a saint2.

The Medieval Catholic Clerics and Monks3

The Catholic church is what comes to mind when Clerics are discussed within a western context4. The Cleric, in the context of the Catholic church, usually refers to the priestly office in some capacity. These clerics had a large authority over medieval society, both within and outside of theological matters. These powers came partly from their monopoly of the language of the Holy book5, which was Latin. (Wilson 2018)

When discussing this instance of the Clerical archetype, I will refer to the medieval Catholic Cleric, and his office. It is hard to overstate the importance of these men within the social order of Medieval Europe, for good and for ill. Faith, as in many different places around the world, was both uniting and dividing force. An important factor to keep in mind is that the Medieval Catholic clergy, as well as the clergy of most major religions were part of the privileged part of society. (Wilson 2018)

Prayers and Miracles

In his book A magical world: superstition and science from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment does Wilson (2018) describe the Miracle as the “bread and butter” of the Catholic church. The saints and the miracles they produce are meant to lend legitimacy to the church, as well as be the basis for the divine powers of the prayer. By praying at certain places, in certain ways, a devoted follower would be able to gain certain blessings. (Wilson 2018)

Miracles are of course a major part of other religions, as are prayers, but I believe that the original inspiration from Wizards of the Coast primarily came from Catholic Christianity6. With that said, D&D as time went on, has added more and more influences as the franchises. As a result, their player base grew. We will take a look at this wider source of inspiration and world-views.

The prayer in Dungeons and Dragons, when performed by a Cleric, follows the same general theory. The Clerics prayer is most often directly answered in some way by their deity, in form of a spell, blessing or curse. Purely mechanically speaking, this is similar to a Wizard casting a spell. (Wizards of the Coast 2019)

The tools of the office

The most striking image of the Medieval Catholic priest is that of a stoic man in long flowing robes, carrying books, scrolls or incense. These articles are vital to the performance of the office of the Cleric or priests. These objects are often referred to as symbols of office and serve as a unifying force for the faith in question. The symbols of office also allows the priests to give their prayers a lot more weight and importance than they would have if anyone else performed them. (Bourdieu 1991)

*The attachment of Luther’s 95 Theses, Julius Hübner, 1878. René*

This image of the robed holy figure is one that we can easily find in Dungeons and Dragons, as well as other contemporary fantasy works that take place in a similar time period. Below we have two images, a Cleric from the 5^th edition Dungeons and Dragons and a Priest from the MMORPG7 World of Warcraft. Here we can see clear connections between the visual aesthetics of the Medieval Catholic church and these two gaming narratives.

The office of the Cleric, is in gameplay, the focus of their divine power and the centre point for their magical powers. This is in contrast to the Wizard, who needs to use components, or an arcane focus to cast spells. This magical force, like much in Dungeons and Dragons, is partly left to the discretion of the DM. A number of smaller details are in fact, left rather vague, for the possibility for the DM to modify and better fit their players. The symbol of office, in the case of the Cleric in D&D, is their focus of their power and the tools they use to cast their spells. In other words, the symbolic power of the Catholic cleric becomes a physical tangible power in the case of the D&D Cleric. The symbols of office, or the holy symbol as it is called in game, is vital for the Cleric to perform their magic. These symbols can take many forms- from books, to talismans to swords, but they all have the same function, to let a chosen wielder to be heard by their chosen deity. (Wizards of the coast 2019).

Divinity in the world of Dungeons and Dragons

The pantheon of the D&D world is vast and complex, We are going to give a very brief overview here of the various pantheons. The gods for good or ill have a large presence in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Deities can be contacted both directly by individuals such as clerics, or by prophets via prayers or indirectly through prophecies and signs. The pantheons and gods that are presented in the official D&D materials are way too numerous to go into detail here. We will go through the general outline of how the pantheons work, and how they are organized. (Wizards of the coast. 2019)

The Pantheons of gods we will discuss today are roughly sorted into two categories. The first category goes by the name of Deities of the Forgotten Realms, or the gods created specifically for Dungeons and Dragons. The second category is the so called Fantasy-Historical Pantheons. The Fantasy-Historical Pantheons are all based on real life gods from the Greek, Egyptian, Celtic and Norse faiths. These gods have a clear grounding in real life faiths, and we will go into more detail with them in the next chapter. (Wizards of the coast. 2019)

The gods are further sorted into categories based on their domain of influence as well as their alignment. These alignments inform a lot of how the character in question are predisposed to act. These guidelines help role-play, as well as keeping the characters consistent, between sessions and campaigns. (Wizards of the coast. 2019)

These different gods all have a realm of power or responsibility. Note that these areas often overlap. This makes sense, since not every culture in D&D worship every deity. As with real life pantheons, several gods of life for example exist within the same geographical area. In terms of D&D, we have for example we have the god Ilmater, god of endurance, who is a lawfully good god, with reign over life Life and his symbol is a pair of hands bound at the wrist with red cord. Another god with reign over Life is Chauntea, goddess of agriculture, a neutral good goddess of Life with her symbol being a sheaf of grain or a blooming rose over grain. It is up to the DM to use these gods how they see fit, as well as in which configurations they are used. As I mentioned before, much of D&D meant to be modified and transformed to fit the players and DM the best. (Wizards of the coast. 2019)

Conclusions

We had as a goal in this essay to analyse the connections between the D&D Cleric and their real life counterparts. I believe we have managed to point towards a series of interesting connections between Dungeons and Dragons and real life religious practices, in this case, the Catholic church. Much of the visuals, such as the symbols of office, the clothing, as well as the general mythos of the role is shared by both incarnations. The focus on prayers, as well as miracles and the performance of miraculous things are present in both roles. Lastly, the symbols of office or the holy symbols do carry great weight when it comes to performing these wonders and miracles.

Next chapter will be dedicated to another spellcaster that uses divine or otherworldly powers, the Warlock.

Footnotes

1Note that Clerics are not the only classes that get their powers from a divine source. Some other notable examples are Paladins and Warlocks, which we will discuss in later chapters.

2 All individuals that were believed to be able to perform miracles in one form or another.

3 Not to be confused with the D&D class, the Monk.

4 A context of which Dungeons and Dragons were created (Wizards of the coast).

5 See, The Bible.

6 I base this assumption on the fact that Wizards of the Coast is a primarily American company, that at its conception primarily sold to an American public. As a result, would it make sense to tie the Cleric to a religious context this public would be the most familiar with. (Wizards of the coast)

7 Massive multiplayer online role playing game

References:
Wizards of the coast. (2019). Pantheons. Retrieved 2019.09.25 from https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/appendix-b-gods-of-the-multiverse

Wizards of the coast. (2019). Cleric. Retrieved 2019.09.25 from https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/cleric

Wilson, D.K. (2018). A magical world: superstition and science from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. (First Pegasus books hardcover edition.) New York, NY: Pegasus Books, Ltd.

Bourdieu, P. & Thompson, J.B. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

Further reading

General texts on the chatolic faith or mission

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04049b.htm

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/25133/25133-h/25133-h.htm

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52040/52040-h/52040-h.htm

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11553/11553-h/11553-h.htm

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18039/pg18039-images.html

Dungeons and dragons and history: part 1, the Wizard

15 September, 201917 July, 2023 ~ SamRandom ~ Leave a comment

Introduction

The modern myth of the Wizard may be traced back to the renaissance in Europe, but the concept of magic and the men and women that could wield it goes way further back then that.

In this series will we discuss some of the classes available in the Tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, and put them in a larger fictional and historical context.

The Mage

The concept of the wise old man with a long beard and a flowing robe is far from a new one, both in fantasy and in general lore as well. The modern idea of the mage can be traced back medieval Europe and the Renaissance as well and the middle ages. This mage or wizard gained his power trough diligent studies and the manipulation of the natural world to his advantage. The mage is seen as a seeker of knowlage and truth, in comparison to the Sorcerer and the superstitious magic user of the countryside. This can very much be understood by the climate of the times and the need to distance themselves from the heretics that the Inquisition were hunting at the time (Levi 2017).

The Wizard in D&D

The fifth edition handbook describes the wizard as a scholar of the arcane. Tough his craft does at first seem simple and their powers come form a single utterance of a short word, or waving of the hand, does this hide vast hours of preparation, study and meditation. The idea of the Wizard as a scholar is further cemented in the form of Arcane Traditions, these traditions are described as philosophical schools of thought, or general areas of study. A wizard tends to specialize in one of them. (Wizards of the Coast 2014)

Knowledge as Power

A mage becomes more and more powerful the more he or she studies the magical and natural world, this concept that exists within both sources we have discussed so far. Lévi argues that true magic can only come from study, and the wizard of Dungeons and Dragons must spend several decades of apprenticeship and studies to acquire any form of real power. In other word does their dedication to their studies and search for magical lore leads to the gain of real life wealth and power.

Booth texts puts large emphasis on the fact that the visual aspects of the magic, the hand waving, the chants and the components, are but a small part of the spell. The real power comes from within the mage itself, and from his long and careful preparations.

Dark vs Light Magic

In Lèvi´s texts (2017), as well as the text of his contemporaries is the Mage presented as the user of light and good magic, in comparison to the evil superstitions of the Sorcerers and Necromancers. This dichotomy between science and superstition, high and low, city and country has been written about in several places. This will not be our focus point today, but non the less will it be consider (Levi 2017). The magic in Dungeons and dragons, are as in many fantasy worlds organized in to good and evil magic to some extent. Dungeons and Dragons most clear example on “evil” magic, would be the study of necromancy (Wizards of the Coast 2014). Lèvi also condones any use of Necromancy in any shape or form.

The clothes of office

When most think of the image of a Wizard, they think of an old man in long robes and with a large white beard. Much of this image I would personally like to attribute to Tolkien’s works, but Dungeons and Dragons as well.

Wizard D&D 5:e taken from Players Handbook

Here we have two examples of Wizards as they are presented by Wizards of the coast¹. Here we can see a clear symbols of the mage, the staff, the robes and the book/scrolls of his practice, not shown here is the wand, a symbol that is often related to the wizard as well².

Wizard D&D 3,5:e taken from Players Handbook

Lèvi discusses a series of artefacts in his text. Chief amongst these are the robes, the staff and the magical wand. Levi explains that these artefacts are al needed to properly control the Astral light. He continues to g in to deep detail about how these instruments should be prepared, used and preserved. The robes in particular corresponds to the certain days of the week, which in turn reoffered to the different celestial bodies. (Levi 2017)

Many of these elements can be seen in the Tarot card The Magician. The Tarot is one of Lévis largest inspirations, and are a large element of occult studies even today. In this card can we find several of the artefacts we have already pointed out. Here we see the robes, the staff and of course the inportant wand. Note that there are several artefacts the Magician carries that do not have a clear translation to the D&D wizard. Chief amongst these are the sword, the talisman and the chalice or cup. Note that Lévi makes account for al of these in his text on occult science.

The Weave

This is the layer of magical energy that the Wizards of Dungeons and dragons uses to manipulate the world around them. This underlying force that combines everything in the multiverse (Wizards of the Coast 2014). A similar concept can be found in Lévis texts in the form of the Astral light. This once again the unifying force that ties the world together. Levi compares this Astral light to a series of contemporary ideas about magic and divinity, such as animal magnetism (Levi 2017).

Knowledge of the ancients

Both of our base texts built around the idea of a long historical tradition of study, as well as the idea of lost knowlage. That the forbearers grasped magic to a much higher degree, and that it is up to today’s Mages to find this lost knowlage (Wizards of the Coast 2014). Lévi (2017) in his studies ties a lot of his research back to the Egyptian and Greek knowlage on the arcane and religion. In Dungeons and Dragons is the call of knowlage very much used as a reason for the Wizard to leave their laboratories and workshops and go out in world and explore and discover old secrets of the world. Lévi also attributed much of his research to the Cabala of old, a topic way to big to take up in this text, but one we might return to.

Spells, Alchemy and Divination

The bread and butter of many magical vocations, including that of Dungeons and Dragons. Lèvi, amongst with his contemporaries all dabble in these arts, as well as the art of Divination. In the Era of the Renaissance and late the enlightenment did many nobles and lords still decide on wars and inportant meetings based on the alignments of the stars. It was the job of the mage to interpret and rely these messages from the stars (Wilson, 2018).

Alchemy was also a well trusted source of knowlage, power and wealth at the time of Lévi and earlier. Many Renaissance scholars and scribes were dabblers in magic as well as natural and social science. Much of was written in these subjects, at least in Europe, was done so with a clear Christian angle and viewpoint. It was hard, if not impossible to separate magic, science and religion.

An interesting side note, the famous Dungeons and Dragons spell Prestidigitation, is a French term, that toughly translates to “slight of hand trick” or “visual magic trick”. An amusing coincidence considering the fact that Lévi and many of his occult contemporaries were indeed from France.

Conclusions

we have in this text endeavoured to tie the Wizard of the Dungeons and Dragons, to his real world counterparts. We have managed to tie the practises, history and visuals of the fictional mage and the Wizard in Dungeons and Dragons.

I argue that we can find several connections between the two images of the Wizard archetype. I would not go so far as to draw direct lines between the two, but it does point towards a somewhat unambiguous and universal view of the Wizard in the west. This text also has quite effectively managed to draw links between modern pop culture and the traditions that came before it, our era do not exist in a vacuum. This is one of the major goals with this blog, to show our popular media, in a broader social and historical context.

If you find this topic interesting then I have a few suggestions for further reading in the references, and I will be adding more to this list as I find them. Feel free to share your suggestions and advice for further research in the comments.

References

Agrippa von Nettesheim, H.C. (1986). Three books of occult philosophy … London: Chthonios.

Wizards of the Coast (2014). Dungeons & dragons Player’s handbook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Lévi, Eliphas (2017) The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic : A New Translation

Wilson, D.K. (2018). A magical world: superstition and science from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. (First Pegasus books hard-cover edition.) New York, NY: Pegasus Books, Ltd.

1The company responsible for the release of Dungeons and Dragons. Note that they to share the name of today’s chapters namesakes.

2An image popularized in to contemporary pop culture much thanks to J.K Rowling Harry Potter series, a series we will in the future discuss in relation to renaissance magic as well.